The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-03
FROM A GIRL TO A BOY.
Kitty Russell's Queer Masquerade in
Chelsea.
From the Baltimore American.

From the Baltimore american.
The arrest Of young man in female at
tire at Chelsea on Friday afternoon, proves
to be one of the most remarkable cases of
female impersonation ever brought to light
in this country, and the disclosure hns been
one of the greatest surprises to the supposed
females" friends. When arrested the
supposed young woman gave her name as
Kitty Russell, but her identity was sus-
pected, and the services of physician being
called in by Chief of Police Sibley, the
matter was quickly decided, Kitty" prov
ing to be man. Yesterday morning Chief
Sibley had the young man photo
graphed and afterwards rugged her
out in a boys suit. He was then
taken to barber shop, where some
nine inches of hair was cut from his
head. Chief Sibley returned with his
charge to the station, and, after giving the
young man some sound advice, allowed
him to depart in company with his foster
mother, a Mrs. Peter Cottrell, of 4SS Com
mercial street, Boston. Considerable diff
Guilty was experienced fitting the young
man out in clothing, as he measured but
eighteen inches around the waist and wears
No, ladys boot. The change in his
attire was by no means an Improvement in
his personal appearance. A reporter called
at ass Commercial street and found Peter
Cottrell and his wife comfortably quartered
on the third floor. Upon inquiring for the
young man" the reporter was told that
kitty" was out, but would shortly return.
Mrs. Cottrell became very communicative,
and both she and her husband
said they were perfectly thunder
struck by the revelations made by the police
of Chelsea They had always looked upon
the young man as their daughter. and what
could have led kitty" to keep the secret
all these years from them, was something
beyond their comprehension Mrs Cottrell,
in her conversation, always spoke of the
young man as kitty" and as being of the
feminine gender, and told a remarkable
story. She said: ''Some sixteen years ago
we lived out at Washington village and for
neighbors had a man named Morris, who
married a woman with one child, always
supposed to be girl by the neiglrbors. The
couple did not live happily to-
gether, and the stepfather's il1-usage of
the child was the cause Of many a
quarrel between the pair. In the absence of
the mother one day he was numerically
beating the child, when | stepped in and
took the little one to my tenement, and |
have been mother to it ever since. The
child was Kitty and at that time was but
years of age. My husband taking fancy
to the child, we brought it up, sent it to the
public schools i'll Washington village, and
until told by Chief Sibley yesterday, had
no more idea thai 'Klt3y' was a II an than a
babe unborn She has always made this
her home When she grew up [ sent her
out to work, and when she left her situa-
ton, she invariably returned to
u.s." The woman's story was fully
substantiated by her husband, who,
if possible, was more astonished than his
good wife at the way in which they had
been deceived. He said Kitty did not
like the new rig, as she felt like duck out
of water. The reporter waited for some lit
tie time for Miss Kitty to put in an ap-
pearance, and, being assured that she wonld
soon arrive, he took a stroll with Mr.. Cot
trell around the block, and while standing
on the sidewalk the Fair Maid" again in
female attire, walked past and into the
house. The reporter followed, and Kitty"
after taking off her bonnet, told the follow
ing story:
II was brought up by Mr.. and Mrs. Cot
trell. They have been father and mother
TO me in every respect. When | grew up
secured the place of maid of all work in a
family residing in Boston, and have filed
that position in various places ever since,
with the exception of twelve months. Ny
last place was in Springfield street, with a
Mrs. Morrill,, living there off and on for the
past three years. On no occasion have |
been suspected of being man. About five
years ago l was married to a man named
Frank King, who is now employed as
driver on the South Boston horse railway.
We went to live in Mattapan. We had
lived together about twelve months when
he began to abuse me, and left him He
has caused me more or less trouble ever
since" On being asked what he intended
to do, Kitty said he should leave the State
as soon as he could secure the funds 1t
seemed very little use to try and persuade
him to discard the female attire and adopt
that of his own sex